UNDP in Ukraine

Non-communicable diseases in Ukraine

28 Nov 2013

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are estimated to account for 86% of annual deaths in Ukraine. The country has one of the highest mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases in Europe, and almost 30% of men who die from NCDs are under 60 years of age. This is on the one side due to widespread risk factors, namely high tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol. On the other side, the fact that family medicine is underdeveloped in Ukraine also contributes to these public health challenges, as family medicine usually plays a pivotal role in the prevention and early detection of NCDs.It is not surprising that Ukrainians are the only ones in the European region who voted for better health care and healthy lifestyle as the first priority for the Post 2015 Development Agenda in the frame of the survey “World We Want 2015”.